The present invention relates to printing devices of the type which make use of a consumable for forming images on print media. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for selecting a proper consumable for the printing device.
Printing devices for forming images on print media such as ink jet printers or electrophotographic printers, to name a few, frequently make use of a replaceable consumable. For the case of ink jet printers, the replaceable consumable contains an ink supply. This ink supply may be integral with the printhead in the case of a print cartridge or maybe a separate ink container in the case of an off-axis type ink supply. Electrophotographic printers such as laser printers frequently make use of a replaceable consumable which is in the form of a toner cartridge. When the supply of toner within the toner cartridge is exhausted the toner cartridge is replaced with a new toner cartridge which includes a new supply of toner. It is critical that this replaceable consumable, no matter what the form of the consumable, be replaced with a consumable that is properly selected for the particular printer and properly suited for the particular application. For example, in the case of ink jet printers it is critical that the new ink consumable be compatible with the particular media used, compatible with the remaining ink in the printhead for the case of off-axis type ink supplies and properly suited for the particular application. The particular application can vary from office printing applications to outdoor sign applications which may require light fast and waterfast inks. Finally, it is important that the consumable have the proper color for the particular application.
The problem of selecting a proper consumable is compounded by the fact that the proper consumable must be selected from a number of consumables having similar configurations but the contents of each of the choices are different. For example, there may be more that a dozen different cartridges all of which appear to be suitable for a given ink jet printer. These cartridges each have different ink colors or have different ink formulations and chemistry for particular applications. Therefore, it may be difficult for the user to properly select a particular consumable from this array of choices.
In addition, many manufactures make use of similar color schemes or product configurations to establish a family of products. Establishing a family of products makes it easy to determine the proper product family but may make it difficult to determine the particular product within the product family because of the similarity in color and product configuration.
Another problem that may be encountered when selecting consumables is that many consumables may be offered under more than one brand name. These brand names may be authorized or unauthorized by the manufacture of the printer. To select a proper consumable one must know which brand names one is looking for in addition to identifying the particular consumable from a host of consumables sold under the particular brand name.
Some printing devices make use of keying systems for preventing the insertion of incompatible consumables to prevent damage to the printer or ensure output image quality. However, keying systems are useful for identifying incompatible consumables only after an attempt has been made to insert the consumable into the printing device. By this time, the user has already purchased the consumable and now must return the product. The user then is faced with the problem of again attempting to select the proper consumable.
There is a present need for a technique for assisting the user to ensure that the proper consumable is selected. This technique should be effective and not add significantly to the cost of the printer.